The Rise of Islamism in the 20th Century

Riem Jalajel
History 271: The Modern Middle East
Writing Assignment #2
Professor Yanıkdağ
April 19, 2012

The rise of Islamism

Islamism is an ideology that demands Muslims complete adherence to the law of Islam and rejects as much as possible outside influence. It is based with a deep antagonism towards non-Muslims and has a particular hostility towards the West. It amounts to an effort to turn Islam, a religion and civilization, into an ideology. Islamism is, in other words, another twentieth-century radical utopian discourse, offering a way to control the state, run society, and give the Muslim community a sense of unity. Islamism is by now a powerful force. It runs governments in Iran, Sudan, and Afghanistan. It is an important force of opposition in Algeria, Egypt, Turkey, Lebanon, and the Palestinian authority.

The paper at hand is going to analyze what conditions and events allowed for the rise of Islamism as an ideology in the later 20th century? The first part is going to introduce the concept of eurocentrism. Following this, Kemalism and its effect on Islamism is going to be discussed. In the last part of the paper post-modernism and Khomeini and their role in the rise of Islamism are highlighted.

EUROCENTRISMEurocentrism can be described as a phenomenon establishing the West as the center of the world by equating it with modernity and as a result make it the destiny of the world to become westernized, since this is equal with being modern. This development is based on the idea that "the West knows best" (Sayyid, 127). This concept has its historical roots in European colonialism and imperialism. "The discourse of eurocentrism is one of the major strands with which the network of western global power is held together "(p.129), since it provides them with a sense of unity and power, which serves as legitimacy for claiming to be the center of the world. Opposition that wants to resist this hegemonic order, can do so only in the terms of that hegemony. This leads to another assumption of eurocentrism: "there is nothing outside the Western project". (p.135)

KEMALISMAfter the post-colonial order and the decline of the Ottoman Empire, the Muslim world was dominated by Kemalist discourses. Influenced by eurocentrism, Kemal's vision was to mimic the European way of building and reigning a nation to become like the West and as a result become modern and reach political efficacy (Sayyid 155). This aim to become like the West resulted in major changes in Turkey and other countries being influenced by the Kemalist discourse.

Before being abolished by the Kemalist regime, the caliphate constituted the nodal point, around which the Muslim unity and identity was built. At the same time it was the centre of the Muslim political structure, attaching Islam as a master signifier to the state. (p.57) Abolishing the caliphate separated the link between state and Islam. The goal of Kemalism was to disconnect Islam from the state to be able to establish a hegemonic discourse without having to integrate Islam. Being aware of the fact that the Kemalist government could not neglect Islam altogether, since the possibility of using it to mobilize support still existed, Kemal tried to tie it in into his discourse. Acts like the abolishment of the caliphate and putting all educational institutions under direct state control to avoid Islamic concepts being taught, sought to distance and even exclude Islam from the Kemalist Turkey.(pp.63-64)

The effect of Kemalism on the role of Islam was different than expected. Instead of depoliticize Islam the policies of the Kemalist reactivated it. By removing it from the centre of their construction of political order, they politicized it. Unsettling it and disseminating it into the general culture made it available for reinscription. The rise of Islamism was enabled through the possibility to articulate it into a counter-hegemonic discourse. (pp.72-73)...

Cited: Sayyid, S. A Fundamental Fear: Eurocentrism and the Emergence of Islamism. New York, 2002. Print.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

...Music written since 1900 is called twentieth century music. There have been more types and styles of music written in the twentieth century then ever before. In the twentieth century, the only limit is the composer's imagination. This great variety of musical styles reflected the diversity of life during the early twentieth century. More people were free to choose where to live, how to earn a living, and how to spend their time. The car, airplane, telephone, phonograph, movies, and radio all made the world more accessible and expanded the range of experiences. Technological developments have also had an influence on the twentieth century music, especially electronic music.
Like all people, musicians have been affected by the political, economic, and social problems of twentieth century. Hitler's rise to power in Germany in 1933 had an especially dramatic impact on the lives and careers of musicians. Many composers left Europe for the United States. These refugees made huge contributions to musical culture.
One of the most significant changes in components of music that formed twentieth century music is rhythm. The modern music is full of complex rhythms and time signatures. The major reason for the increase of rhythms in twentieth century music is the development of the ballet. The second component of twentieth century music is...

...To improve power, influence and living standards. You need: technological advances and the degree of its commitment to modernisation
* A major catalyst for challenge and change to the old political, social, economic and cultural order of the 20thcentury. Because: encouraged urbanisation- the move from country to town
* Urbanisation
* Spread of disease became a major problem
* Where your house was located reflected social classes
* Social change
* Change in women’s traditional roles
* Women everywhere were second class citizens- no matter wealth
* They wanted suffrage- the right to vote
* Challenging traditional religious influence
* Christianity favoured- sectarianism- one religious view more superior
* Different forms of government
* Dynastic rulers- rulers who have inherited their power
* -Dynastic authority- the power exercised by rulers, as a result of the lengthy period of time during which their family has ruled
* -In 1901, dynastic rulers governed a number of imperial powers
* Example of Dynastic Rulers
* Emperor Franz Josef’s family, the Hapsburgs- Austria since 15th century
* Kaiser Wilhelm II’s family, the Hohenzollerns- Germany since the 15th century
* Tsar Nicholas II, Romanovs- Russia since 1613
* -All autocrats and were reluctant to reforms. By late 1918- all dynasties disappeared.
* -Great Britain had a monarch-...

...appeared a stratification of fiction due to primary education for all. Parallel to this, novelists saw themselves apart from the public, as dedicated men. This new modern conception involved dignity and a sense of glory. Another change was from the three-volume novel to the one volume one. Together with the demands of the new publics, this shortening divided the Victorian novel into the categories of fiction we know today. The key name in the eighties is Henry James, who strove to give the novel the aesthetic intensity of poetry or painting. The two dominant themes in his work are the "international subject" and that of the innocent. After the eighties the novel became the dominant prose form.
4.1. The Turn of the Century: the Modern British Novel
The turn of the century meant the end of the Victorian Era with the Queen's death in 1901. The legacy of Darwin, the Victorian loss of Christian Faith, Socialism and the awareness of threat against England's wealth increased the existing social discomfort. Apart from this, new discoveries such as Einstein's Special theory of Relativity (1905) and Freud's works Interpretation of Dreams (1900) and The Psychopathology of Everyday life (1901) were also important. As concerns Visual Arts, after the Post-Impressionist movement a great crisis of the subject followed. This crisis led to Cubism and Dadaism. Arts were then called to recognition of modern technology, which was expressed in poetry through the...

...
Technology in the 20thCentury Paper
There are many notable advances made in technology that took place during the twentieth century. The world gradually moved from the industrial age into the technology age during this era. Once technology took hold nothing could hold back the flood of its advancement and the innovation that grew from it. Of all of the important advancements three standouts that are intimately connected are the inventions of the radio, computers, and the internet. The radio could be said as the beginning of the information age and the sharing of information worldwide.
The Radio
The radio actually made it possible for the first time in humanity’s history for an audience to hear a person from many miles away. Before the television the radio was a way of gathering of people and families to share news and the storytelling that would have once perhaps been told around a communal fire. According to Kinsey, between the years of 1909 and 1927 Britain, America, Australia, South Africa, and the Netherlands were all broadcasting wirelessly through the radio (Kinsey, 2005). During this time radio broadcasts were all commercial, but that soon gave way to other kinds of broadcasts including music.
Computers
Another huge advancement created in the twentieth century is the computer. The computers that are enjoyed today hardly resemble the huge calculating machines that were created...

...Europe in the 19th and 20thcenturies
Introduction
During the 19th and 20thcentury, Europe witnessed its so-called demographic transition, with a fall in birth rates and an even greater fall in mortality rates, which led to a rapid increase in the population. The demographic transition was essentially a result of a decrease in chronic infectious diseases like tuberculosis, syphilis, diphtheria, measles, dysentery, and typhoid fever.
The wage dispersion evidence suggests that the middle of the 19th century is an appropriate date for the start of modern convergence in the Atlantic economy. One might view this convergence as one of transition toward globally-integrated Atlantic factor markets. The convergence in wages from about 1854 to the end of the 19th century was the most extensive that the Atlantic economy has seen since 1830, including the better-known convergence of the post-World War II era, although the "speed" per decade wasn't as fast as during the spectacular post-World War II epoch (Crafts and Toniolo, 1996). Most of the convergence was complete by the turn of the century.
Convergence wasn't limited to real wages and living standards of the working poor: GDP per capita converged as well (O'Rourke and Williamson, 1998, ch. 2). However, real wage convergence was much faster than convergence of GDP per capita, and the globalization arguments which follow offer...

...Every artist has his or her own style of painting. Each painting tells some sort of story or has some type of personal meaning to the artist. One of the most important figures in modern art is Pablo Picasso. Not only was Pablo Picasso a genius in the field of abstract art, but he also experimented with sculpting and ceramics. Pablo Picasso has taken the world to many places with his unique style of work which is why I believe he is considered to be a genius of the 20thcentury.
Background
Pablo Picasso, born Pablo Ruiz, was destined to become an artist at a very young age. Born in Malaga, Spain on October 15, 1881, the young artist began to follow in the footsteps of Jose Ruiz Blascohis father. Many say that Picasso's love for art was somewhat genetic, since his father was also an aspiring painter. At the young age of four, Picasso had already learned to draw detailed pictures, and by the age of 15 had already become technically skilled in drawing and painting. While most of us were busy learning and playing during our school years, Picasso spent his class time drawing sketches of his classmates (Chew, 1995). Needless to say he was indeed one of the most creative students in his class, and it would only be a matter of time before he began to pursue art as a career.
By the age of 16, Picasso had more than mastered the techniques necessary to become a successful artist. Although, most teenagers his age were probably out mingling with their...

...Consigning the Twentieth Century to History: Alternative Narratives for the Modern Era
Author(s): Charles S. Maier
Source: The American Historical Review, Vol. 105, No. 3 (Jun., 2000), pp. 807-831
Published by: Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Historical Association
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2651811 .
Accessed: 23/07/2013 08:28
Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .
http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp
.
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of
content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms
of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.
.
Oxford University Press and American Historical Association are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize,
preserve and extend access to The American Historical Review.
http://www.jstor.org
This content downloaded from 146.182.9.9 on Tue, 23 Jul 2013 08:28:04 AM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
This content downloaded from 146.182.9.9 on Tue, 23 Jul 2013 08:28:04 AM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
This content downloaded from 146.182.9.9 on Tue, 23 Jul 2013 08:28:04 AM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
This content downloaded from...

...An individual's personality, opinion and even the way they perceive things are highly influenced by experience. Many experiences are documented, whether positive or negative, in the form of film, story, song or poem. The twentieth century was an era of imperialism, nationalism and decolonization which would all contribute to the outbreak of both world wars. Each war was both surprising to many people, as well as damaging. The state of a nations economy, moral and even landscape became a daily reminder of the war that surrounded them. Friends and family were shipped off to war, many did not return. Mothers, daughters, sisters and wives all tried to stay strong for their heroes at war, but inside, tension and heartache were overpowering their lives. Soldiers faced battle daily, and were physically and emotionally worn. Things in the world were harsh, everyone wanted to escape reality and many did so, through poetry.
Twentieth century poetry was highly influenced by the war, individuals in the home front wrote about their feelings that captured their lives daily, soldiers wrote on the warfront craving a place to escape the harsh reality and many others just wanted their opinion to be heard, but in a less obvious way. The poem written by Derek Walcott, A Far Cry from Africa illustrates the frustration of being apart of two cultures, British and African. The lines "I who am poisoned with the blood of both/Where shall I turn, divided to the...